The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topicThank you for liking
You have already liked this page, you can only like it once!
The Copernicus Sentinel-2A satellite takes us over Kourou in French Guiana, with the main town of the same name visible in the lower right.
The Sentinel-2B satellite is currently poised on top of a Vega rocket on the launch pad (upper left) about 15 km northwest of the main town, and is set for launch on 7 March 2017 at 01:49 GMT (02:49 CET).
The launch site at Kourou lies just over 500 km north of the equator and often sits under clouds. While cloudy skies may not prevent a launch, it does affect our view of the pad. The more recent passes over this area by Sentinel-2A were cloudy; this image was captured on 20 August 2016.
Once Sentinel-2B is in orbit, the two satellites will cover the entire planet between latitudes 84°S and 84°N every five days, increasing the chance of cloud-free imagery.
Watch the Sentinel-2B launch
Follow the launch event at ESA’s mission control